Can personality traits predict dementia

An NIA-funded study supports a predictive link between personality traits and dementia. The study found that conscientiousness, extraversion, and positive affect were associated with a lower risk for dementia while neuroticism and negative affect were associated with an increased risk. However, no associations were found between personality traits and dementia-related brain changes. The results, published in Alzheimer's and Dementia, the Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, may help researchers understand whether changes in personality can predict one's risk for dementia.

For this study, researchers from Northwestern University and the University of California, Davis analyzed data from 44,531 participants who were part of eight separate longitudinal studies conducted in three continents and five countries. The team harmonized the data and tested whether personality traits and subjective reports of well-being predicted neuropsychological and neuropathological characteristics of dementia.

The results support the idea that certain personality traits may be risk factors for dementia. Neuroticism, low conscientiousness, and negative affect were associated with dementia diagnoses across samples, measures, and time. Other personality traits may be more protective; for example, conscientiousness, extraversion, and positive affect were associated with a lower risk for dementia.

Among the combined participant data, approximately 50% of all the cases included autopsies. A limited number of samples (1,703) from the combined data were from people who developed dementia. This enabled researchers to compare autopsy results with personality traits. They found no consistent associations. One limitation of the study is that all the neuropathology samples were from the United States and none of the studies were representative with respect to race.

The study authors note that more research is needed to prospectively explore such associations using biomarkers of dementia and among more diverse and inclusive populations and to establish whether aspects of personality or subjective well-being are causally linked to dementia outcomes.

This research was supported by NIA grants P01AG043362, R01AG018436, R01AG067622, R01AG017917, P30AG010161, P30AG72975, R01AG15819, R01AG072559, and P01AG03949.

These activities relate to NIH's AD+ADRD Research Implementation Milestones 2.J, Disease Mechanisms: Social and psychosocial factors, and 11.B, Enabling Tech: Outcome measures harmonization.

Reference: Beck ED, et al. Personality predictors of dementia diagnosis and neuropathological burden: An individual participant data meta-analysis. Alzheimer's & Dementia. 2024;20(3):1497-1514. doi: 10.1002/alz.13523.